Which to use
“tension” is a noun and “tensions” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,987
- “tension” frequency rank
- #9,969
- “tensions” frequency rank
- 14956
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tension | tensions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other. | third-person singular simple present indicative of tension |
Letter map: tension vs tensions
Shared letters muted; letters that set tension and tensions apart highlighted. Shared run: 7. tension runs 7 letters (CVCCVVC) against tensions's 8 (CVCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Part-of-speech tell for tension / tensions
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tension is anoun and tensionsaverb. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “tension” sits inside “tensions”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14956, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tension is recorded at frequency rank #4,987, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈtɛnʃən/. tensions is at rank #9,969, tagged as averb.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 14956, this pair ranks #466,926 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tension vs tensions
Shared letters: einost. Private to "tension": -. Private to "tensions": -.
"tension" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "tensions" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tension" and "tensions" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "tension" or "tensions" show up more?
After this comparison
Pair "tension" vs "tensions" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "tension" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tensions" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #466,926 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tension" and "tensions" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tension vs torsion". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #466,926 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.